The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 342: safe return
Chapter 342: Return to the Capital Safely
In her heart, Mr. Cui and her grandfather are the same kind of people. They are the ones who truly have no shame in front of heaven and no embarrassment in front of people. She thinks she cannot match the style and bearing of their generation, but she admires them from the bottom of her heart.
And today, Mr. Cui’s words resolved Bai Qingyan’s confusion.
“Xiao Si knows, I won’t say anything nonsense again.”
As soon as Bai Jinzhi finished speaking, Bai Qingyan felt a sound of something breaking through the air coming rapidly from behind. Her scalp tightened and she pulled Bai Jinzhi over, pressing her head down and making her bend down to dodge.
A stone wrapped in paper brushed past Bai Jinzhi’s back, fell on the stone steps, and rolled down the steps.
Bai Jinzhi pulled out the long whip from behind his waist and quickly protected Bai Qingyan behind him.
Seeing this, the guards who came with Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi drew their swords, with one team guarding the bottom of the stairs while the other team quickly rushed to the higher steps.
Bai Qingyan looked at the forest in the distance. A black shadow quickly rushed into the forest and disappeared. His sight fell on the stone wrapped in paper at the bottom of the steps that rolled down.
Seeing this, Bai Jinzhi’s eyes fell on the paper-wrapped stone. He quickly walked down a few steps, picked up the stone, opened the paper, and his pupils trembled.
She took the crumpled paper and quickly stepped in front of Bai Qingyan, unfolded the paper and handed it to Bai Qingyan: “Eldest sister…”
[Eldest sister, please come to Anyuqing Temple on the north peak of Anyu Mountain. ]
This is Bai Qingjue’s handwriting.
Bai Qingyan’s heart beat faster and he quickly crumpled the paper into a ball and held it tightly in his palm.
Bai Jinzhi was overwhelmed with emotion, her eyes were red: “Eldest sister, it’s…”
She held Bai Jinzhi’s hand tightly, squeezed it hard, signaled Bai Jinzhi to calm down, and said lightly: “Let’s go!”
Bai Jinzhi gritted his teeth and said nothing, trying his best to keep a straight face so as not to reveal his emotions.
When Chuntao helped Bai Qingyan get on the carriage, Bai Jinzhi heard her elder sister say, “Since we are at Anyu Mountain, let’s go to Anyu Qing Temple to see if our third sister is feeling better. I heard that the crabapple blossoms at Anyu Temple are in bloom and look very pretty. Let’s bring one or two back for grandma.”
Bai Jinzhi jumped onto the horse, tightly grasped the reins, and said, “Let’s go to Anyuqing Temple…”
Inside the carriage, Bai Qingyan unfolded the paper again, placed it on the table, smoothed out every wrinkle with his hands, and choked with sobs.
She should have burned the letter immediately, but Ajue had no way to see Fourth Aunt now. This was evidence that Ajue was alive, and she wanted to at least let Fourth Aunt take a look at it.
She folded the paper again, held it against her chest, closed her eyes, and her eyelashes were already wet.
In front of Anyuqing Temple, Bai Qingyan got off the carriage and told Chuntao and the guards to wait outside while she and Bai Jinzhi went in to see Bai Jintong.
Anyu Qing’an is located on the northern peak of Anyu Mountain. The men coming and going in Qing’an were too conspicuous. But now that the crabapple blossoms are in bloom on the northern peak of Anyu Mountain, it is not uncommon to see occasional literati and scholars coming here for an outing.
Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi went to the courtyard where their grandmother practiced meditation, then went out from the back door of Anyuqing Temple and followed the secret instructions to walk towards a pavilion at the corner of the North Peak.
Bai Jinzhi looked up and saw the tall figure in a blue-gray robe standing with his hands behind his back in the pavilion. She wanted to scream… but her throat seemed to be blocked by something and no sound came out. Tears fell down her eyes.
Bai Qingyan paused, his eyes turned red, a sour feeling rushed to his eyes and nose, and mist in his eyes blurred his vision.
Now that she saw the living Bai Qingjue several feet away, she felt deeply that Bai Qingjue was alive…
Unlike Bai Qingyun who was rescued by Qiushanguan and was a bloody mess, Bai Qingjue’s slender figure stood tall and straight, as if he had never experienced life and death or destruction. He was still the talented and brilliant seventh son of the Bai family, as if… everything that happened before was just a nightmare for Bai Qingyan.
She clenched her teeth, grasped the hem of her skirt tightly with her sweaty hands, and raised her feet towards the pavilion.
“Be careful, elder sister!” Bai Jinzhi supported Bai Qingyan who was about to fall.
Hearing the voice, Bai Qingjue turned around abruptly, walked a few steps to the entrance of the pavilion, and saw his elder sister Bai Qingyan, who was standing below the high steps. His eyes were hot, and he walked down quickly. When he was two steps away from Bai Qingyan, he lifted the hem of his gown, knelt down solemnly, and could not hold back his tears.
It is said that men don’t shed tears easily, but when facing his elder sister, he could no longer hold back.
Bai Qingjue raised his head, his face covered in dust, but it did not detract from his handsome appearance at all. His throat rolled up and down, and he choked with sobs and called out, “Elder sister…”
She thought she would never hear the name “elder sister” again.
She should have been happy, but she felt a dull pain in her heart, as if a dull knife was cutting her flesh.
She looked at Bai Qingjue, whose facial features were straight and very similar to those of his fourth uncle. The once carefree and unrestrained young man of the Bai family had now grown into a resolute and strong man.
Even though he suffered great disaster, his spirit remains unchanged.
After experiencing life and death, his character remains.
This… is the good man of their Bai family!
She let go of Bai Jinzhi’s hand and stepped forward to help Bai Qingjue up.
Bai Qingjue held Bai Qingyan’s calloused hand, feeling as if his heart was being torn out. He did not get up but just held Bai Qingyan’s hand tightly, looking up at Bai Qingyan’s red eyes: “Seventh son of the Bai family of the Dragon Cavalry Battalion… Bai Qingjue, return to the capital safely.”
She suddenly burst into tears.
When my grandfather returned safely from the battle, the first thing he did was to take the Bai family members to burn incense to their ancestors and let every descendant of the Bai family tell their ancestors that they had returned safely.
Now, only Bai Qingjue is left.
Although he didn’t bathe or burn incense at the Bai family’s house, for Bai Qingjue… the Bai family is where his relatives are!
If relatives hear it, ancestors will also hear it.
“Eldest sister, I didn’t have time to go back to protect fifth brother. I didn’t… protect fifth brother.” Bai Qingjue gritted his teeth. This matter was like a huge rock pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.
On the battlefield, the one who should be protected the most is not him, but the true heir of the Bai family… Bai Qingyu, the legitimate son of Bai Qishan, the eldest uncle of the Zhenguo Mansion!
When she heard Bai Qingjue mention Ayu, her heart was broken and her bones were numb with pain.
She tightly grasped Bai Qingjue’s hand, bent down to hug Bai Qingjue and gently stroked his back, and said in a hoarse voice: “You and Ayun are alive, elder sister…elder sister is already very relieved, at least the men of my Bai family have not been killed in southern Xinjiang! It’s good to be alive…”
“Seventh brother!” Bai Jinzhi knelt beside Bai Qingjue and cried for Bai Qingjue, hugging his brother tightly, crying until he couldn’t breathe.
“Xiao Si…” Bai Qingjue hugged Bai Jinzhi with one hand and closed his eyes, unable to hold back his tears.
Bai Qingjue knelt on the ground without getting up. Because of the embrace of his relatives, he could no longer control the grief in his heart. He gritted his teeth and refused to cry out loud, but he still wet his elder sister’s clothes.
The three siblings cried together for a long time before they sat in the pavilion and listened to Bai Qingjue talk about things in southern Xinjiang.
Bai Qingjue and Bai Qingyun were ordered to lead the cavalry around Chuanling and head straight to Yunjing, Xiliang, to catch Xiliang off guard.
It will be three years before the siblings meet again…